Toy.



A. E. LENZ.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.14. 1911.

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LUIIIA PLAMGIAP" CO" IAIHINGTON- U- C UNITED STATEQ gg TENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. LENZ, 01E PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.-

TOY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. LENZ, of Perth Amboy, Middlesex county, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Toys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in toys, and the object of my invention is to produce a toy, the successful operation of which requires a considerable degree of skill. To this end I provide a board having a number of grooves or depressions at various places in the surface of the board, each groove sloping gradually upward from one end to the level of the surface of the board. Except for these grooves or depressions, the surface of the board is smooth. \Vith this board I provide a round ball or marble, small enough to roll freely in the grooves. The object of the toy is to start this ball at the deep end of one groove, then by tipping or tilting the board to roll the ball up the inclined groove to the surface of the board and across a designated space on the board to another groove, without the ball crossing certain indicated lines drawn on the board, and so on around through the different grooves back to the starting point.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top view of the board embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings I have shown the board 10 having a rail or flange 11 around its outer edge. On the upper surface of this board I provide a series of grooves 12, these grooves being so shaped that they slope up from one end of the upper surface of the board. On the surface of the board 10 are drawn lines 13 which are essentially parallel with the grooves 12. In the drawings I have shown four of these grooves 12 arranged essentially at right angles with each other, and inclosed by the parallel lines 13. A ball 14 is provided which is of proper size to roll easily Within the groove, and this may be a marble, but preferably is made of metal such as steel. The upper surface of the board with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 14, 1911.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 665,688.

the exception of the above mentioned grooves, is perfectly smooth.

The object of the toy is to start the ball at the lower end of one groove A, and then by tipping or tilting the board to roll the ball up the inclined groove to the surface of the board 10, and then across the board to the lower part of the second groove as indicated at B, without the ball rolling outside of the lines 13, and in this way continue the movement of the ball around the board back to the starting point.

The toy may be used to represent a baseball diamond, the starting place A being assumed to be the home plate, and the points B, C and D, the first, second and third base respectively. The object of the toy being to roll the ball around the board without its running across the lines 13, it is apparent that in addition to its being used as a toy by one person, it may be also used as a game in which several persons may enter, and tally kept of the number of bases which each individual is able to reach without the balls crossing the lines 13.

I claim 1. A toy of the kind described comprising a board having grooves on the surface thereof, said grooves arranged at angles to each other and each groove sloping longitudinally from one end up to the surface of the board and a ball of a size to roll freely within the grooves.

2. A toy of the kind described comprising a board having grooves in the surface thereof, each groove sloping longitudinally from one end up to the surface of the board, the surface of the board having lines drawn thereon on each side of each groove and essentially parallel with the groove and a ball of a size to roll freely within the grooves.

3. A toy of the kind described comprising a board having grooves in the surface thereof, said grooves being arranged at angles to each other, each groove sloping longitudinally from one end up to the surface of the board, the surface of the board having lines thereon essentially parallel to the grooves and on each side thereof, and a ball of a size to roll freely within the grooves.

4. A toy of the kind described comprising a board, the surface of the board having a series of parallel lines drawn thereon, each of said series of parallel lines intersecting with another of the series, the surface of the board having longitudinally extending grooves between each of the series of parallel lines, each groove sloping longitudinally from one end up to the surface of the board at a point distant from the intersection of the parallel lines, a ball of a size to roll freely Within the groove, and a flange exlo tending above the surface of the board at its outer edge.

ALBERT E. LENZ.

VVitnessesi THOMAS T. SEELYE, ARTHUR G. DANNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.? 

